Frederick Douglass Importance Of Education

Picture this going through life without the ability to read or write. Without these abilities, it is impossible for a person to be a functioning member of society. In addition, imagine that someone is purposely limiting your knowledge to keep a leash on your independence. Not only is an American slave raised without skills in literacy, he cannot be taught to read unless someone breaks the law. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader is given a detailed explanation of why slave masters keep their slaves ignorant and the effects such a strategy has on the slaves’ lives. In his autobiography, Douglass describes how the knowledge he obtains has substantial positive and negative effects on his psyche. He is given renewed passion and hope for freedom while struggling with the burden of enlightenment of his situation. Ultimately, however, education shapes his fate, and he achieves freedom and prominence as an advocate for abolition.

"Some men know the value of education by having it. I know its value by not having it." –Blessings of Liberty and Education (1894) In Frederick Douglass’ narrative he writes about his childhood memories while he was enslaved including memories from different owners and overseers.He talks about the multiple different plantations he had lived on. He includes his memories of the terrible treatment of his family and fellow slaves as well as memories of being in communications with them. In his narrative, he criticizes many aspects of slavery however he focuses on the inhumanity of slavery. By criticizing the inhumanity of slavery Douglass demonstrates that becoming literate enabled him to discover his self-pride which helped him become a

The power of education was also a key argument in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, but it was not an argument with a consistent meaning. Although Frederick Douglass believes that the only way to freedom for him and his fellow slaves, is through learning how to build on. At the same time Douglass is disgusted with education because it lets him know and fully understand the extent and horrors of slavery. Later, he finds out that while the conditions are slightly better there is still a great deal of injustice. He then begins to think getting his education could be his way to liberty and freedom and though he endeavors to learn much as he can, he starts to doubt whether he is correct or not. He then state “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out” (47). In the end, these elements of freedom-becoming educated-led to his last act of rebellion, which he thought would bring him freedom. H e engages in a fight with his master. He can no longer stand his new sense of education and knowledge. He states “This battle with Mr.

1. Douglass taught himself how to read and write. At first, Douglass’s mistress taught him how to read the alphabet before her husband prohibited her from doing this. After that he started to teach himself how to read by reading books and newspapers, and how to write by copying his little Master Thomas’s written in the spaces left in the copy-book when his mistress goes to the class meeting every monday afternoon. However his most successfully way of teaching himself how to read was to make friends with the white boys whom he met in the street. He bribes them with food to get them to teach him. He also learned how to read and understand the meaning of the name on the timber.

“How would you feel if you were a slave and were not allowed to learn reading and writing?” Frederick Douglass is one of millions victims in slavery; moreover, he is one of few influential African-American abolitionists. He illustrates how he successfully overcomes tremendous difficulties to become literate in his essay, “Learning to Read and Write.” He believes that education is the key to freedom for slaves. Similarly, non-English speaking immigrants regard education as the essential to get rid of struggles in English in the United States.

Since slaves were not allowed schooling, illiteracy was very common for African Americans slaves. For many people not accustomed to slavery, it was believed that slavery was simply a state of natural being. People believed African Americans were inherently incapable of residing in their society and consequently should live as laborers for white slave owners. Enforcing illiteracy among children deprived them of their necessary morality and ethics. Southern slave owners used this to their advantage control how the remainder of the country viewed slavery. If slaves were illiterate, they were incapable of telling their side of slavery. Douglass is saying that knowledge is key to winning against slavery. His quote, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man” (Douglass) describes his transformation as a slave with little knowledge and education to a man who has become very knowledgeable and educated to beat slavery. Douglass uses knowledge as the road to his freedom. He seeks knowledge and education to help slaves voice the wrong doings slaveholders are bringing upon blacks. Douglass helps slaves discover their selves not as slaves but as men instead.

Frederick Douglass, an African American slave, searches for liberation against the shackles of slavery through education; as told in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative in a Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass portrays education as a paradox; knowledge brings him both great joy and great pain. Learning opens up new worlds for Douglass, and he becomes obsessed with the possibility of freedom. At the same time, he envies his fellow slaves for their ignorance. They do not understand what their enslavers have stolen from them. Douglass grapples with the hopelessness of his plight, but knowledge empowers him enough to set himself free from a life of benightedness, and to share that knowledge with others.

In today’s day and age education is one of the most overlooked concept of our generation. Education is underestimated because it’s easily accessed through public or at home schooling, so the majority of our generation can at least read or write. In the narrative The Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass the concept of education can differentiate whether a black man free or enslaved. During this time period, education is crucial for the road of freedom but extremely difficult to achieve. In this narrative Douglas uses paradox to show how education can be an african american’s ‘saving grace’ but on the other hand, it could also be his worst nightmare. This is shown through the process Frederick Douglas needed to go through to become education and free. Douglas utilizes irony and character development to display this duality of education.

In Frederick Douglass’s narrative, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”, he speaks of how he gained his education. He discusses who helped him and who discouraged him from getting an education. He mainly taught himself how to read and write, but he would have been nothing without the help of one of his master’s wife, Mrs. Auld. This narrative has shown that even the slightest education can be very abundant and meaningful. Through this essay it becomes evident that education is only a privilege.

While strategically subjecting slaves to a life without education makes education seem like a tool used for maintaining the status quo of a plantation, making slaves this desperate for a glimpse of hope makes their desire for education even stronger than the human need to know they already live with and work to

Knowledge is a treasure that once found cannot be taken away. Frederick Douglass searched for this treasure and once he found it had few options of what to do with it. Learning of the trials Douglass faced in his endeavors made me realize how much I take my knowledge for granted. Throughout my life I have had unrestricted access to this treasure and various opportunities to use it. This essay contrasts Douglass’s heartfelt search for knowledge and the discontent that came with it and my blatant disregard of knowledge and later satisfaction of it.

Fredrick Douglass’s “Learning to Read and Write”, gives readers insight into the struggles of being a slave with intelligence, but more importantly into his experience. In his essay, Douglass shows how he fought to obtain knowledge; however, a reading of his story will reveal that what he learned changed him for the better. Michael Scott, a former EOF student read the story and believed that Douglass’s intelligence was a destructive and to a certain degree pointless. Contrary to Scott’s statement, Douglass’s knowledge wasn’t more of a curse than a blessing. Being a slave was everyone’s curse. Douglass went into depression because he hadn’t had the same experience as other slaves and finally felt what it was really like to be a slave when he was punished for his knowledge. However just because his knowledge is what got him into trouble doesn’t necessarily make him, being an intelligent slave; a curse nor does it mean that he had absolutely no alternatives to his condition. In fact, he above most other slaves had the upper hand when it came to creating his own alternative. Douglass’s intelligence helped him become autodidactic, manipulate situations to benefit him, and develop an ambition to become free.

As a child, Douglass would have had no education in reading or writing just as all of the other slaves would not have had any education. The songs these slaves would have been singing throughout their journey would have been easy for a young boy to comprehend. Without the education of a free white man, hearing these songs from other slaves would have been his first real experience of the ghastly effects slavery has on a person. Despite not understanding these songs as a slave, they stuck with Douglass throughout his life and had an impact on how he views the world. Connecting this paragraph to the next reveals the negativity of slavery. These slaves were allowed to go out and travel, however, they were still bound to the land of their masters.

Slavery has impacted literacy in an enormous way. We now have stories, novels, and books on the experiences of many slaves that give us a personal view of being a slave. Just like slavery impacted literacy, literacy created a big change in slavery. Many slaves began to find ways to receive education. Slaveholders were against slaves receiving education because they feared that education would threaten their authority.

Inspiration defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary is, “a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something” (Webster Dictionary, 2015). As an American, I have taken advantage of the provided school system, as most people have. Although; like Fredrick Douglass and Malala Yousafzai, they went through many hardships and struggles to pursue an education, an education that can enhance life but came with costs. These two individuals are to me an inspiration to never take advantage of the education system that is here in the United States.